Lithuania? Not for me, man. No no no. I might have fallen out of consideration for the June lottery, but, Hey, I'm sleepin' on satin sheets, eatin' well, and the monthly stipend provides petrol for my wheels. And NOBODY...repeat, NOBODY is gonna fleece me of these wheels!
REHawk
1583 posts
@HighEliteMajor I feel the urge, once again, to jab with a needle at your tough old skin. My personal and time honored MINDSET: Win the league annually; then hope for a national title every couple of decades. Never ever lose in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tourney. Coddle and praise a tenured coaching staff which strives to maintain that level of play. (And, O Yeah, HAVE A NICE DAY!)
@HighEliteMajor I am a fan of Garrett. He is progressing quite well as a rookie in the Bill Self System. Thanks for your stats on this player. Like any newbie in top level Div. 1 hoops, he sis bound for some ups and downs. Looks to me as though he is riding high on the learning curve. His pre-conference playing time should give him a decent boost, going into league play soon. I predict that he will play like a sophomore by late February. What with Newman's recovery time, Garrett and Cunliff should get considerable playing time vs. Nebraska.
I don't know how well Sosinski can move his mud hooks, but shucks, we could have used L'il Abner or Mighty Mouse or Goofy or SOMEONE to guard the paint vs. those lightning quick Sun Devil guards Sunday afternoon. Softest paint defense in Bill's 15 years at the helm.
Doke could play the bruiser role, but with no one to replace him on the floor? As he is learning the game of Big Man Basketball, he plays under the edict: DO NOT FOUL OUT!
I well remember all the bone jarring hits on speedy determined Frank Mason as he raced to the basket. How many times did he get plowed into the stands? Those 3 speedy ASU guards latched onto something of a free pass yesterday when they roared down the chute like Frank Mason. No one to send them a memorable hit. If we don't get Preston, deSousa or a surprise bruiser into the lineup pronto, this will indeed be a roller coaster ride throughout the league season. SOFT? Now like jelly.
If Coach is really working on ZONE in practice sessions, I would not expect to see it used until absolutely necessary in a league game. Bill is a league guy. These back to back losses must really hurt him and his staff, esp. in regards to recruiting. But league wins are his forte', and I do not expect him to broadcast what might be coming until we are battling to win a key conference contest. Opponents have now figured how to beat us (although today's Arizona State 3 pt shooting played a key role). The Preston wait thwarts our forward progress. The entire dilemma with our big men has turned into a losing fiasco.
@drgnslayr Fumble? Shucks, our king of fumble transferred last summer to Arizona State. His fumbling was not at floor level, but rather in the rafters, up above the 7' mark. (Though I write this with a sense of mirth, I do feel bad for that kid. I hope to see him lift his life together and step back into the path of stardom somewhere soon. Another Jayhawk "what might have been." I am pulling for him.)
@HighEliteMajor Not to be contrary, but it is my experience that occasionally we draw a covey of officials who can't count!
@wissox You know, if you really hope to glean the full pros and cons of this running thing, you oughtta prod ol' jaybate to post his thoughts on the issue. I betcha he's tried running. If so moved, he will rip off a 750 word thesis on the subject. Then his favorite naysayers will leap from the woodwork to try to ambush his slant.
You could probably sort more info than you could ever have hoped, both wheat and chaff.
"...maybe he can go out there and foul the heck out of somebody really hard." "He's a nice young man." "He'll hit you." YO HO! Welcome to Jayhawk Basketball, Mr. Sosinski!
@wissox Heck, you have set me off and running on this topic, and I can't seem to get my regular day's activities jump started. If you don't wear an activity tracker, I am here to tell you that my acquisition of such has been a life changer. I had begun to wax into a very sedentary lifestyle prior to the purchase. My son is a professor who deals with weight problems, both from eating habits and lack of regular exercise. He was issued an activity tracker by his university. The moment he promoted that device to his old man, I saw the wisdom of such an investment. I found mine new on eBay for something like $55 or $60. Garmin HR (heart rate) Activity Tracker. Much more economical that FitBit device, similar. At first I had to push myself somewhat to log over 6000 steps daily. Within a month I was competing with the damn thing, increasing my steps to 8000+. Now I fairly easily maintain that level, some days much more, some days a bit less. The tracker will keep a record for me, so I don't have to log it in a notebook. The inclusion of the heart rate monitor added to the cost, but I cherish the investment. I am pretty much electronically impaired, very ignorant of everchanging new stuff. But this device is simple to use and, in my opinion, a must have...for anyone concerned about exercise and good health. So....
@wissox I am in my mid 70s, hurling toward the incenerator, so my inclination regarding running advice for a young guy starting in his early 50s is, of course, sprinkled heavily with CAUTION, both for cardiac and orthopedic reasons. I like dylan's routine, as stated above. I do walk lots. I live in the Ozark sticks, so have been able to work outdoors lots in my two decades of retirement. A year ago, at the suggestion of my son, I bought a Garmin activity tracker...which I use as a wristwatch, also to track my daily steps and my heart rate at any given moment. I strive to walk more than 8000 steps daily, and am relieved to see that I can yet do uphill walking without my pulse rate bouncing into the danger zone. I had begun to experience lower back pain in the extremus prior to my stopping daily runs in my 50s. I do miss the competitive side of running, but am staying fit via walking and fairly strenuous outdoor work, mowing, chain sawing, stone work, etc. Well, I begin to ramble. Perhaps I have offered a few additional suggestions. I do praise my decades of running as a big factor contributing to my current health, maintenance of trim weight, etc. Early on in life, the running kept me away from smoking, obesity, sedentary factors that have wreaked havoc with many relatives and friends in my age group. I shudder at the thought of declining into a wheel chair; although I do think that too much pounding of the roads might have delivered me into that possibility sooner than otherwise. So, please to listen carefully to your body as you progress.
@wissox Oops! Sorry that my previous post was not issued directly to you. It was intended so.
This topic is within the realm of my coaching experience, although I worked with teen runners; so I might not have much to offer a 53 year old beginning runner. You are starting at an age when many midlife runners are hanging up their tennies. For a variety of reasons I stopped in my early fifties. And probably none too soon, orthopedically speaking. Though you did not mention height, weight, the nature of your job, I can offer a bit of cautious advice.
For a long while, stick to training runs much shorter than 7 miles.
Wear really good running shoes. If you are probably overweight (for a road runner) look into athletic diet; gradually knock off the pounds.
Give it a rest at least one day per week, perhaps twice. Consider doing some biking or swimming to substitute for some of the bone jarrring road miles. Run on grass or macadam rather than concrete. Develop dependable stretching habits, before and after workouts. If you perspire heavily, supplement with a morning banana or occasional potassium pills.
Ask your medic about advisability of a good stress test.
Good luck!
I tend to think this was a growing up game for LaGerald Vick. He appeared to grow tentative about carrying the load, as the game wore on. Should perhaps have glued his nose to the hoop and gone for 40 pts. His game has improved mightily in the past 2 and 1/3 seasons. Now his mind and determination must take an accompanying leap. Maybe the psychological shock of his first half success wormed its way into limiting what he might have accomplished? This was an occasion when we needed someone to step forward with Frank Mason's grit.
Coach Hopkins did a marvelous job of preparation for this game. Telecommunicated with his former head coach Boeheim, then chose to focus on clipping the beak of our Jayhawk point guard and to hit the court with maximum hustle and energy, not growing dismayed when leaving Vick relatively free to do his thing. On a night when KU gunners were missing 3 pt. shots, the strategy worked well for Washington. Outcome was something of an outlier, I would conclude. But it did expose Jayhawk weaknesses: lack of another solid big man and relying too much on the glory of normal outside shooting success. Fool's gold, anyone?
Do walk-ons earn free room and board? Are they entitled to share in monthly stipends which scholarship players receive? If they are not allowed, at least, to receive free meals then their commitment is one heck of a charity gesture...risking orthopedic well being for a slice of notoriety or fame.
Well, even if he eventually gets cleared, I am mighty disgruntled regarding B. Preston, his placing the program under the microscope of those who investigate or bray, IMPROPRIETY. Leaves us to wonder if the coaching staff actually took another gamble on a BIG with baggage. Or maybe the Preston clan was just careless with the rules? A sad first semester scenario, whatever. In an ideal world, Doke stays for another season; Preston departs as an NBA gamble.
Even if he roars onto the court as a springtime savior in key survival contests, I am not likely to work up enthusiasm for Billy the Jayhawk. No, I really don't KNOW HIM.
PROplexed? Those are the complex actions of a would-be pro. It could be said that Billy Preston is the current bearer of such recent popular Jayhawk tidings. A word which affects sleepless nights of an otherwise well programmed coaching staff.
Preston: OAD? Unless he clears up his eligibility in order actually to show his stuff while in Lawrence, Billy is going to take one hell of a chance on being selected in the NBA lottery. Probably won't occur.
KU might have invested upwards of $100,000 in his recruitment; but I can't see the program investing another 100K to get him eligible.
A fairly loyal fan who has followed just about every known move during the Bill Self years, I am growing disgruntled with the Preston "wait." Of course, I've no multi-million dollar annual income to protect and extend. Am just a distant fan who felt and expressed great hopes for this power forward who was to become a key piece in the Final Four aspirations of this historic program. That said, the Preston Saga has built a bad taste in my ingestion of Jayhawk Hoops. If Billy does not gain eligibility this week after Thanksgiving, I'd say it's time to move along without him; hope that deSousa gains eligibility and comes in clean and untainted. Even if Billy gets eligible, what should lie in store next with his offcourt situation?
@jaybate-1.0 Premature thinking, I suppose, but I feel that if Doke can stay healthy this squad will win the league. A big IF. Even without Preston. After the league tournament, unless we have developed extra second semester help at the 4 or 5 we are going to be too easy for opponents to figure out. Preston has hauled baggage into Lawrence and drawn negative attention to the program. Could likely become a monkey wrench unless his situation is resolved before league play.
I am usually quite optimistic about the development of Bill Self recruits, except for the occasional cases of eligibility problems. To me, Marcus Garrett has looked like a serious winner from the getgo.
I really like Mitch's attitude and earnest ways; but have been hesitant to think of him as a serious threat vs. D1 Majors. Slowly but surely he bolsters my more positive take. He is a kid who needed a red shirt; but he forges ahead without it, and is earning his keep. I think we can win the league with Cundiff and what we now have available.
If Preston eventually gets cleared, is he bound to roar onto the floor trying to make up for lost time, disturbing the mix? If so, I suppose he will earn the yanks until Self settles him down. Doke and Lightfeet really do need relief help, esp. if Doke should suffer another injury. Those thundering dunks probably send shudders through our coaching staff's spinal columns.
@Gorilla72 In my assessment, that is the thing with recruitment of freaky one and done talent. Scary proceedings.
I figure that even if we reclaim Billy Pee by semester, and even if he is joined by newcomer deJesus from the midseason ranks of high school competition, we are bound to bumble along into 2 or 3 league losses. Can Bill Self coached squads play fluidly with guys who have not suited up for November/December battles? If one or both of those power forwards should become available late, what will their inclusion mean to a squad which is united in team play? Right now the Jayhawks are passing and sharing the ball in triumphant and speedy harmony. Granted, Doke's accomplishments will be tested by league coaches and a few conference players like this Bamba kid down in Austin. But our array and backlog of guards might just dominate league opponents, regardless. And a couple of Jayhawk guards are no slouches when it comes to the measuring tape. All the while, earnest Mitch gradually improves his game. I tend to think we win #14 with just the team we now have available. However, I do think the addition of a player with height and bulk might be a saving grace by the time we march into NCAA Tourney play. Whether Preston or the high school wonder or some other big body, if we hope to advance far in the grand tourney someone new will have to have played several second semester minutes per game just to get himself up to reasonable unison with what Bill Self now possesses. Whoever it be, let's hope the addition does not subtract from what we now see. Tampering with a hoops lineup is akin to replacing Runner #2 on a championship relay team.
@jayballer54 Yep, I can say it. NOSE DIVE!
@DoubleDD Aw, I am just clowning. Falling into the spirit of the two guys who are waging this idle feud. They both possess unbelievably acute marketing instincts. And yeah, I suppose that I am something of a Trump basher. I wasn't too keen on Hillary, but I did and do think that she bore the experience and know-how to move the country forward. But the legislative branch would probably have curbed her actions even more than they have curbed Trump's. These bipartisan standoffs have become a nightmare for the USA. And the republicans are like two different parties within their own ranks. So, we as a nation are probably much better off with Trump's forays into sports feuds and the waging of small personal battles than his focus on stirring up furor of N. Korea. I worry that my grandchildren will get caught up in military horrors of his making. In the meantime, I try to stay on the upbeat, amused by our president's less deadly or less costly tweets. The guy is indeed a CHARACTER. Very scary, however. He now stands chest deep in "the swamp." Gotta move his feet slowly or is likely to sink past his nose into the mire, some of which he has created. LaVar Ball will continue to bait him, trying to milk every bit of free advertising available. Ball's jabbing NBA hoops stars like Curry, Jordan and James has gleaned not nearly so much attention as the Trump goads. I really do see the guy as a marketing genius.
@mayjay Shucks, for all we know, The Donald might actually own the controlling interest in BBB. Just be using this guy LaVar and his talented offspring as a marketing tool to sell those $495.00 sneakers to kids who thrive at the game of hoops; folks who would not otherwise be inclined to buy from a rare political icon who denigrates their sports stars. We are living in shady times, turmoil on the roll.
But the big boys proceed with the clocking of dollars.
@DoubleDD Atta boy! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!
When Billy eventually trudges home to Texas or wherever, I think that LaVar Ball should purchase the car. He could deck it out with a giant pair of Big Baller sneakers glued above the headlights, hang a fashion worthy pair of Chinese sunglasses from the rearview mirror, and bray to ESPN and Sports Illustrated, "I bought this famous car all the way up in Lawrence, Kansas, for purposes of charity, and one of my boys and his buddies is drivin' it all the way to Los Angeleese. We gonna put it up for public auction. Send those earnings down to the good poor needy people of Puerto Rico to buy some electricity and Big Baller Brand bottles of water."
...and I would not find myself at all surprised to find in a few months the amusing revelation that The Donald and Family have invested a significant holding in Big Baller Brand. Heck, those two guys could plumb this marketing bonanza for several months, if not years.
@DoubleDD Well, I just read that between last Friday and this Wednesday Big Baller Brand gleaned over 13 million dollars of free advertising, thanks to Donald Trump's rants. Regardless of the criminal stuff which led to this feud, such statistics are mighty damned amusing. LaVar seems to possess an instinct for marketing. When he brayed about his personal hoops superiority to Michael Jordan, I scratched my old hairless pate and mumbled to myself, "What an idiot!" Now I better understand the guy. I think he has out-Trumped the Trumper. (On the other hand, I think his kid and cohorts should have served a few weeks of hard time before departing China. They embodied a light touch of what the world is viewing in regards to Ugly America.)
@HawkInMizery Yeah, the wife and I kinda concur with you guys on this issue. China should have led those guys away from those ritzy hotel lodgings, right down the stairwell from which they could be marched in cuffs to the nearest lockup. Leave them sitting for a month or so until LaVar coughed up an order for several gross of Chinese Big Baller Brand brogues and perhaps a few trial gross of Presidential Peeps Hoops Sunglasses.
Regarding the outcome of that teen girl in the dorm incident, I would imagine that the powers what be are hoping that, given enough time, interest will evaporate so that a quiet toned down announcement can be offered. One thing definitely true about curious fans on this site; WE NEVER FORGET!
@mayjay Not to suggest that he was involved in that teen girl sex debacle in the hoops dorm; but whatever was the outcome of that case? Has it been resolved yet? Did it actually involve one or more of our scholarship players or walk-ons?
@DoubleDD Hate? Showing my HATE? Aw, come on now, you're sounding like one of my indigent welfare neighbors, guys who turned on me with that HATER label after I pointed out that the government was set to annihilate their medicaid benefits. Shucks, the only thing I ever absolutely hated was liver and onions, back when I was barely a teen. And hominy. Got burned with a leather belt one time for refusing to eat my mother's cooking. Probably because of the belt; but I HATED those food items. Now have outgrown those emotions, and actually find liver and onions somewhat delectable. I don't feel hate for our president, his family, inner circle or unwavering dumb supporters. What I have felt is a sense of surprise, shock, indignation and mirth. To bring my discourse back to the subject of this thread, I am getting a huge kick out of the current feud: TRUMP vs. BALL.
The patriarch of some young American hoops stars denigrates the powerful leader of the Free World for not really doing much to help free his wayward son from Chinese captivity. Trump, iin a twist of furious irony, then declares that LaVar Ball is a "fool!" That stuff is more humorous than any of the Sunday comics. If the president would avoid speech and actions involving foreign relations or public morality, items of which he is either ignorant or out of 21st century tune, and stick with personal insults and braying about his omnipotence, then all of us could sit back in relief, chuckle with delight. Dagwood vs. Blondie! And heck, it looks as though Ivanka is standing tall vs. her audacious daddy in the Roy Moore debacle. Maybe Mr. Ball will find a foothold to squeeze his voice into that brouhaha. Not hate stuff, but MIRTH. Dontcha think?
@wissox I think Doke should try shooting freethrows with his eyes closed. Couldn't do any worse. But Coach K is not about to give up on Grayson Allen. I'd bet he couldn't be lured with a million dollars to do so. Of course, a million dollars represents probably only 1/10 of K's annual income....
Well, if LaVar should, indeed, add a line of sunglasses to his merchandise for Big Baller Brand he might label them THE DONALD's CHINESE PEEPS. Unless, of course, a member of the president's inner circle pounces first upon that marketing possibility.
LaVar appears to be winning the war of words with our cheeky twitter king. Or, at very least, pulling a classic Trumpism by diverting heat off his eldest son Lonzo's flagging NBA performances. His baiting and goading of the president evidently took place during an ESPN interview.
@REHawk Oops! Forgot a 4th guy: Preston.
@jaybate-1.0 We just have to hope that they are quick learners, responsive to coaching, bent on team play and determined to focus on defense above all else. Unselfish blenders who recognize from the outset precisely what Bill Self intends for them. And will they adjust harmonically with Doke, Vick, Newman...if any or all of those 3 are still in the fold.
@JayHawkFanToo That last sentence makes very good sense. The last thing any toplevel sports program would want is the fine-tooth-comb scrutiny of a federal investigative agency, esp. this season when other powerhouse hoops schools are subjects of public castigation, coaches falling by the wayside.
@JayHawkFanToo I bow to your wisdom. Posters, please substitute TRADEMARKS for PATENTS in my previous post. Gotta protect the good name of anyone who might benefit from LiAngelo Ball's involvement in toplevel pardons.
Guys, there is a smoking GUN! This bit about a parking permit might reference the trigger. But the bullet ain't just floating about in space.
@JayHawkFanToo Okay, okay. One last word and I will cease, too.
It just seems to follow, logically, that if the current president is to broker any dealings with China, there will have to be some advantages involved in that decision. For both parties. Early in his administration, the leader of China came to D.C. to meet with our newly elected leader; after which it was unveiled that the anointed daughter had garnered several Chinese patents for her merchandise. So...if China is actually to produce Mr. Ball's shoes or his/UCLA's sunglasses, would it not follow that someone high in our government will benefit from the DEAL? Daughter's young offspring could sing a little song in Mandarin, and SHAZAM! But then again, maybe the Chinese shoe deal and the sunglasses won't fly. S. Korea or Japan might intervene to broker the deal. Whatever, there is bound to be a winner or two stemming from the notorious collegiate hoops theft. All's well that ends well. Bye.
@JayHawkFanToo Heck, this is UCLA Basketball! Division 1 athletes and a parent stirring up public indignation. The political stuff is just a tangential mire that our president stepped into.
@JayHawkFanToo We can't allow public emotion or normal appropriate conduct to get in the way of big business. Dollars are dollars...or YENS?
...and Ivanka will probably pocket the patent on both the shoes and glasses?
Aw shucks, I know how this idiocy will turn out. China will manufacture those $500 tennies for Big Baller; probably also send to LA several trial cases of USA Collegiate Hoops Sunglasses.
Will make for an interesting sportswatch, the date of UCLA reinstatement of young baller brand and cohorts. And China? Perhaps POTUS and Co. will agree to ease up on the threat of fire and fury.
@jayballer54 Because of the pissant actions of 3 Division 1 basketball players the president of the USA ends up pleading for mercy from the Chinese heirarchy. Cutting a deal. What is (or will be) the flipside of this deal? The CEO of big baller brand brays his arrogance while shielding his pissant thieving son. End of story. Not.